Jennifer Merrick

Wild and rugged, yet brimming with culture and history, South Africa’s second largest province feels like its own country – an exotic and captivating one at that. The Eastern Cape, situated in the country’s southeast and bordered by the warm Indian Ocean (Cape Town, by the way, is in the Western Cape province) is known for its incredible natural diversity both on land and in the waters.
What this means is that you have a lot of choices when it comes to your vacation.
How about a big-five safa...

Take the kids out of school for a vacation? Not anymore.
High school exams, part-time jobs and culminating projects mean it’s a high season family vacation or stay at home. And winters are long. And cold. But four flights during high season for some fun under the sun is prohibitively expensive.
Our solution? Let’s drive til it’s warm! We had ten days, two teenagers, snorkeling gear, a cooler filled with food, and a shiny red 2019 Honda Odyssey minivan to test drive. Time to hit the road!
Raci...

“Life is short. If you don’t stop to look around once in awhile, you may just miss it,” exhorted Matthew Broderick in his starring role in the 1986 classic film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, in which three high schoolers skip class to enjoy a beautiful spring day in the city. As a teen working part-time at National Video, I’d pop that VHS tape into the VCR every chance I got. Ferris was a hero to me, and many other Gen-Xers; and the movie was an inspiration to seize the day, escape the boredom of school, and do whatever you needed to have fun.
And after visiting Chicago 32 years later, I have to s

Water, water everywhere…
“Wherever you are in the hotel, you’re looking at water,” explains Jennifer Graham, a spokesperson for the hotel.
Located at the southernmost point of Florida’s Palm Beaches in Boca Raton, this luxurious boutique hotel overlooks both the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway.
So whether your balcony is on the north or south side, you’re enjoying lunch or relaxing poolside in a cabana, holding a meeting in the event spaces or taking wedding photos on the dock, you are greeted with an H2O view.

We had 10 days, two teenagers.......

Two ships pass in the night. When Classica is enroute to the Grand Bahama Island, Celebration is heading to Palm Beach, Florida, and vice versa, each taking two days to complete the journey.
They’re both cruise ships belonging to Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, each with multiple dining options, onboard entertainment, spa, casino and deckchairs with views of the ocean and pools. But the ships are also a means of transportation.

Glittering Skylines to Ancient Treasures: Cruising the Yangtze from Chongqing to the Three Gorges

Buy experiences not things, and we will be happier is what the research now says. The thrill of material purchases is short-lived, but the joy of adventure, travel, activities and encounters last well after the experience is over, bringing more lasting satisfaction in our lives.
So this holiday season, why not give your family and friends experiential gifts? And be sure to buy two, so you can join your loved ones, since studies also tell us that social interaction makes us merrier, too.
Here ...

Exploring Banff, Alberta
A strong odor of hard boiled eggs—a little on the rotten side—hit us as we entered.
“It’s not me; I had a bath,” joked our Parks Canada guide, Amar Athwal.
We were at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the birthplace of Banff National Park and Canada’s federal park system, which now encompasses over three dozen parks and 174,000 square miles of protected lands and waters. And it all came about because of this pungent odor. Well, more specifically, of where the...

“Were there any locals in Banff?” I wondered on our visit to the Rockies, where we heard accents from all over the world. It seemed that everyone we talked to had planned to come here for a short time and never left.
People like Paul Lapierre, our Lake Louise Mountain Adventure Guide, who had been hitchhiking from Thunder Bay to Vancouver 32 years ago, but never made it out of Banff National Park.
“Best decision ever,” he told us. And as I looked around, it was easy to understand his choice. ...

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Destinations & Articles
Out of South Africa, Exploring the Eastern Cape
Long before I heard the catchphrase bucket list, I dreamt of going on safari. I’d imagine myself driving through the African plains in an open-air jeep, photographing lions, outfitted like Meryl Streep in the movie Out of Africa. Later Robert Redford would shampoo my hair while quoting poetry… (Okay, I digress.)
But now, decades later, I finally had the chance to visit this great continent with a dream trip to South Afric...